I reviewed the Chumby almost two years ago and at the time faulted it for a number of things, including its requirement to be tethered to a power outlet. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one complaining as Chumby has just announced the pre-order availability of the chumby one. The chumby one features a lot of the same features of the original Chumby, including a 3.5″ LCD color touchscreen, access to chumby content, multiple alarm settings, and an accelerometer, just to name a few. However, the chumby one goes a bit further with a faster processor, less squishiness, and a radio tuner. For the complete list of differences between the chumby classic and chumby one, check out the comparison link.

I have to admit that I like the new pricing and certainly the inclusion of a user replaceable lithium ion battery, but from the early pictures I’ve seen, it looks like the chumby has gone industrial and no longer looks like a friendly, plush gadget. In fact, it’s now ABS plastic, whereas the original was Italian leather. I’m not sure what the motivation for going industrial was, but I’m sad to see the chumby go in that direction.

I haven’t had any playtime with the new chumby yet, but if it performs as well as the original and is wireless, I might be adding one to my collection soon.